FAC 251 Factory HQ > The building

FAC 251 The New Factory
Fac 251 The New Factory

Fac 251, designed by Ben Kelly, a conversion of an existing building on Charles Street / Princess Street, just round the corner from the BBC. It was opened on the crest of the Madchester wave but was sold and turned into the Paradise Factory when Factory went belly up.

The NME reported on 10 April 1993 that "Factory Records' building in Manchester is to be re-opened next month as an arts centre called Paradise Factory.

The offices on Charles Street were designed by Ben Kelly, the man behind the post-industrial interior of the Hacienda. According to reports in the Manchester Evening News, it will now house a cinema, theatre, night club and bar, with a total capacity of 700.

New owners Peter Dalton and Carol Ainscow purchased the building for an estimated £500,000, two-thirds of the cost of Kelly's interior design alone.

The Factory building is the biggest asset sold since the label went into receivership last November with debts of more than £2.5 million."